How-to dismantle Thinkpad Dock II to fit fan resistor?

[jkn]

Hi All
I have a Thinkpad Dock II which I use with my T42p. This is the style of Dock with an 'extension plate' on which the laptop sits. I would like to modify the Dock II slightly by fitting a small resistor in series with the fan, to quieten it a little; there is no PCI card or Ultrabay devices fitted in the Dock and I made this mod successfully on an older style Dock for my T22.

However ... on that dock it was a pig to get the top cover off; if I remember rightly there are a couple of screws which seemingly stop the thing being dismantled without some brute force and/or a Dremel ;-(. And the HMM for the Dock II says:

1020 ThinkPad Dock top cover:
Note
This section is only for the ThinkPad Dock (FRU no.
08N1546). The top cover and screw kit for ThinkPad
Dock (FRU no. 12P4143) is not available for the
ThinkPad Dock with extension plate (FRU no.
08N1537) .

This makes me think it's going to a pain again.

Has anyone done this dismantling and can give me a tip? Or is there a better way of making the series resistor option without removing the top plate?

Thanks
Jon N

[qviri]

I pulled the fan straight out of my Dock II (I use it with the X21, wouldn't necessarily recommend removing it entirely for a T42p). If I remember correctly, it's the bottom you have to remove. It was a bit of a hassle, but there's nothing that can really trip you up. Just keep on removing the screws. Check behind labels and screw covers. One thing to note may be the physical eject mechanism (the button as well as the parts that hook into the laptop), there are a couple of springs you'd do well not to lose, and you may want to dismantle the whole thing carefully to make sure you'll be able to put it back together.

Overall, go slow, go with the HMM, and you should be fine.